Harry Wilson: Kiwi fans letting Wallabies know about Bledisloe drought

The Bledisloe Cup has remained in New Zealand’s hands for more than two decades now, and as if that fact wasn’t burning enough for Australia, Kiwi fans have been dropping reminders while passing by the visiting team in the Auckland streets.

Wallabies captain Harry Wilson grinned as he mentioned the banter on the eve of his Eden Park Test against the All Blacks, and embraced the fact that history was not on his team’s side in the fixture.

The Trans-Tasman rivalry spans all sports, but the Bledisloe Cup holds a special place between the neighbours, and the coming series is seen by many as the most competitive in years.

“It’s been a good buildup over in New Zealand,” Wilson told reporters in Auckland. “There’s been plenty of hype and walking around in the streets; everyone’s letting us know the results, which is something you enjoy when you’re playing in enemy territory.

“For us, we’ve taken a stride this week. We’ve had a really good week’s prep, we’ve trained well, it’s been a pretty seamless week.”

The Wallabies lead the Rugby Championship standings after four rounds, but with all teams sitting on the same record, there is no room for so much as a stumble. For the Wallabies, a massive start to 2025 has set them up with fresh confidence in their big-match ability.

“We’ve played a lot of big matches this year, which is great because it gives the group a lot of confidence,” Wilson added. “You’ve got the British & Irish Lions in a three-game series, then over in South Africa. We’ve been in the pressure cooker quite a lot this year, so it is definitely something that we’ll lean on this weekend, knowing that we’ve been here before, and we’ve found ways out of it, too.

“It’s a heck of a challenge when you’re versing a team like New Zealand. We haven’t won over here in quite a long time. History is against us, but that’s something that truly excites this group.”

Wilson was also sure to acknowledge the All Blacks’ latest Test, a hefty loss to the Springboks, and said his team were aware that an especially hungry All Blacks outfit awaited them on Saturday evening.

But Australia also have some wrongs to right after falling short of another wild comeback against Los Pumas in their latest outing. Wilson was hoping his side wouldn’t leave it until the final quarter to find form again, but would back his all-or-nothing leadership style should the game get tight in the dying stages.

“For us, we want to win Test matches. We want to have that winning mindset, and we want to have belief in ourselves.

“I’ve got so much belief in everyone in our squad, from the people playing to the people not playing. We prepare well, and I guess we owe it to everyone in the squad to go and try and do everything we can to win and have that mindset. We train very hard during the week, and we get challenged by the second team every single session. So the least we can do is go out there and have that mindset and do everything we can to win, right to the 80th minute.”